Located on Vancouver Island, the Lenora, Mt Sicker railway was constructed in 1900 to serve the Lenora copper mine. Only six miles long, it was a 3 foot gauge railway replacing a tramway constructed on log rails. Due to the steep and rough track, a geared locomotive was chosen. What they got was this small and beautiful 2 cylinder Shay, outshopped from Lima on October 3 1900 as Build No. 621. Cylinders were only 6 x10" and the engine could only handle two 5 ton ore cars at a time but was soon routinely moving 70 tons of ore per day.
The mine was producing well and within six months more power was needed, it was joined by another Shay, this one bought used, it was larger and much more capable.
The mine went bankrupt in 1907 and the #1 was sold to the M. H. Ellis lumber company at Lombard in the Fraser River Valley, where it was run into the ground and eventually scrapped.
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| During the lumber company years. |
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